


Slave

by chains_archivist



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Boys in Chains, M/M, Slaves, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 11:09:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4219470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chains_archivist/pseuds/chains_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>by Yvette</p><p>Harry finds himself in a dimension where Vulcans have human slaves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slave

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Dusk, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [Boys in Chains](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Boys_in_Chains), which opened in 2000 as a multifandom archive for both fiction and art, but then sadly went offline in 2005. To bring the archive back, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in December 2014. Open Doors [posted an announcement](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/1832) and e-mailed all creators about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please [contact the Open Doors committee](http://transformativeworks.org/contact/open%20doors).  
> \--  
> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended

[Deep in Space]   
  
The Being scanned the intruder idly, pausing as it discovered an anomalous reading. One of the micro-organisms onboard the ship showed evidence of inter-spacial travel. The Being pondered the evidence, and at that moment the ship sent out a pulse that burned along every nerve impulse it possessed and in that moment of agony the organism was lost. Almost instantaneously, the Being replaced the organism, not realising that an error had occurred. The healing process had begun and the organism was forgotten.   
  
[Voyager 1]   
  
Laughter. Everyone had been laughing at some smart comment Tom had made, and the sound of cue sticks hitting the balls and glasses clinking had been drowned out momentarily by the laughter. Harry was laughing too, happy to be here, on Voyager, surrounded by his friends and having such a great time. Suddenly he felt a momentary nausea, and then it was like being caught in the transporter beam, only different. Sandrines faded, and Harry found himself......   
  
[Voyager 2]  
  
.......on his knees, the carpet fibers harsh on his bare skin. The hand behind his neck was like a steel brace, holding his head in place while his mouth and throat were filled to gagging point with the hard cock that was thrusting in and out. Harry's hands had been holding on to the lean thighs for support - holding? What the *hell* was going on here? Pushing hard he tried to get away from the thrusting cock, his eyes filling with tears as the terror of his situation took over his body and he scratched and punched, trying to get leverage from his position on his knees, trying to get away from that thrusting cock and breathe........ His rapist withdrew and Harry Kim fell back onto the floor suddenly, scrambling to get away before his attacker pounced again, only to freeze in shock when he realised just who it was whose cock had just been thrusting into his mouth.   
  
Tuvok.   
  
The usually impassive face was showing anger and irritation as Tuvok reached down to the young Ensign and grabbed a handful of his hair, yanking him back up to his knees. Again tears sprang to Harry's eyes at the sudden pain and he yelped instinctively. The hard slap didn't help matters, but the shock of Tuvok's words drove the pain from his mind. "You dare to fight me, slut?" The voice was Tuvok's, the face was Tuvok's and Oh God that frighteningly fit body, with its hard, gleaming muscles that could inflict far more damage than that slap was definitely Tuvok's.   
  
"This isn't ....... I'm not ....... this isn't *right*!" Harry blurted out in fright, as Tuvok's free hand rose to hit him again. Time froze for a moment as Tuvok stared into Harry's eyes, the surprise at his slave's sudden revolt showing clearly amongst the suspicion that Harry Kim's mind had snapped in the last few moments.   
  
His slave had been as compliant as ever that evening, bathing his master and preparing the evening meal as usual. He had served his Master's dinner, and had cleared up afterwards with his usual efficiency. When Tuvok had silently removed his uniform, Harry had sunk to his knees in front of the impressive erection and had begun sucking on it immediately, using all the techniques he had learned over the five years he had been Tuvok's personal slave. The sudden attack had taken Tuvok completely by surprise and Harry had managed to scratch him several times before being punished in the usual manner. Looking down at the terrified young man, Tuvok was aware of several things, but first and foremost was his need for completion. He tightened his grip on his slave's hair and leaned down to stare directly into Harry's eyes. His voice was calm, but his eyes blazed with anger.   
  
"You will open your mouth and finish the job or I will make you very sorry, slave."   
  
A thousand thoughts and images were pounding through Harry's mind at that moment. He knew he was in a different timeline, or perhaps an alternate universe or *something* but right here, right now he was in deep trouble. The look in Tuvok's eyes was one Harry had never seen before but it chilled him to his soul. Tuvok's intention to hurt Harry if he did not carry out his command blazed from his eyes, and it seemed in this place - wherever it was - that he had that power. Hoping desperately that the universe would right itself in the next few moments, Harry took a deep breath and did the only thing he could do under the circumstances.   
  
The tip of Tuvok's cock hitting the back of his throat was almost enough to make him gag again, and he instinctively grabbed on to Tuvok's thrusting hips once again to support himself. Breathing deeply through his nose, he relaxed his throat and concentrated on swallowing and sucking the invader until he felt the hot stream of fluid ejecting from the cock and shooting down his throat. There was absolutely no enjoyment for him in this act, and some not inconsiderable discomfort. Tuvok had retained his hard grip on Harry's hair and his thrusting had paid no attention whatsoever to the possibility of his 'slave' choking to death.   
  
Harry gasped for air as Tuvok's limp member was removed from his mouth. He couldn't meet the Vulcan's steady gaze as fear once again enveloped him. God, what if this was one of those evil empire universes he had read about in Starfleet manuals? The thought that the entire crew might be as evil and twisted as the crews he had read about was terrifying, and the tears that he had been holding at bay until that moment suddenly began to fall.   
  
[Voyager 1]   
  
Onboard Harry's Voyager, Ensign Kim, personal slave to Tuvok of Vulcan, found himself instantaneously transported from his usual position at this time of night, on his knees in front of his Master, to what looked like Sandrines, on the Holodeck. Tom was here, and B'Elanna - and in fact, a lot of the crew were here. They were all laughing about something, and everything seemed perfectly normal. It was only a moment, however, before Tom noticed that his friend wasn't laughing with the rest of them, and went over to him to find out what was wrong.   
  
As Kim looked around himself dazedly and wondered what the hell had happened, Tom put a friendly arm around his shoulders, making him jump in surprise.   
  
"Harry, Harry, Harry - I worked on that punchline for days and you didn't even smile? I must be losing my touch! What's the matter?"   
  
Kim looked at his friend, Tom, and gave a dazed chuckle. "I don't know, Tom, I think I may have had a blackout or something. One minute I was with the Master in his quarters and the next minute........"   
  
Tom's friendly gaze had turned quizzical as he interrupted his friend. "The Master? Who the hell is 'The Master?"   
  
Ensign Kim looked around him at the question. Everything looked the same as it always did on Voyager, but Tom's question proved that the sudden shift was more than a momentary blackout.   
  
Carefully, he replied to Tom's question. "My Master, Tom. Tuvok. Who else would I be with at this time of night?"   
  
Tom's curious expression turned worried at the reply, and he looked his friend over to see if there was any overt signs of a recent trauma that could have completely addled his brain. Harry looked the same as ever, neatly attired in his yellow Ensign's uniform. They had been playing pool with B'Elanna and a few others, having a few drinks and a few laughs before turning in.   
  
"I think maybe we'd better get you to Sickbay, Harry." The firm tone and guiding hand on Kim's back were enough to get his feet moving in the direction Tom wanted him to go. Halfway across the floor, however, Harry's brain kicked into gear and he stopped.   
  
"I should be with Tuvok, Tom - I'll talk to you tomorrow morning, okay?"   
  
Harry extricated himself gently from his seemingly amazed friend and quickly left the holodeck, heading for Tuvok's quarters. He wasn't sure what was going on but one thing was certain. Tuvok would be very annoyed at him for not performing his evening duties. Harry remembered the last time he had angered Tuvok. The shame of his failure had been felt by him every time another crew member had averted their gaze from his black eye.   
  
Back at Sandrines, Tom was joined by B'Elanna, and was explaining Harry's strange behaviour to her.   
  
"He was probably joking, Tom - you're not the only comedian around here, you know!"   
  
Tom was worried, though. "B'Elanna - you didn't hear him, I did. He was deadly serious. Harry thinks that Tuvok is his master and he's on his way there now. The guy is clearly delusional. I have to let someone know!"   
  
Tom's hand hovered over his communicator for a moment as he wondered who to tell. Eventually, he called the Doctor, and filled him in on Harry's strange comments. The Doctor clearly thought that either Tom Paris or Harry Kim were having him on, and eventually told Tom rather brusquely to have Ensign Kim report to sickbay for a checkup.   
  
..oo00oo..   
  
Kim had arrived at the quarters he shared with his Master, only to find that the door did not recognise his comm badge and automatically open for him. Keying the entrance pad, he waited for the expected summons, and entered the quarters when the doors opened.   
  
Harry swallowed nervously as he saw the remains of Tuvok's dinner. His Master would be very angry with him. Tuvok approached, but his words were not what his servant expected to hear. "May I help you, Ensign Kim?" Was Tuvok being sarcastic?   
  
Kim stammered an apology for not being present earlier in the evening and stared in surprise when his Master asked him if they had had an appointment. An appointment? Thoroughly confused now, the younger man could only shake his head slightly in bewilderment. Surely Tuvok was going to punish him?   
  
Clearing his throat nervously, he asked, "Shall I resume my duties?" and braced himself for the blow he knew he deserved. When none was forthcoming, he ventured to meet his Master's eyes only to find Tuvok regarding him with a strange mixture of concern and curiousity.   
  
"Perhaps that would be best, Ensign." Ensign? Tuvok only called him by his rank when they were in the presence of others, and his lack of anger was surprising. Relieved, however, at a command he could follow, Kim bestowed a swift, grateful smile on his Master, and went in to the bedroom to change into his slave tunic. He could hear his Master's voice in the main room, but had learned early on not to listen in on his Master's conversations. For some reason his tunic was nowhere to be found - in fact, none of his possessions were in his Master's quarters.   
  
Panicked, suddenly, Kim whirled around to face Tuvok as the Vulcan entered the bedroom. The dismay on his face was clearly evident to the Vulcan, who looked completely taken aback when Kim dropped to his knees in front of the Lieutenant and looked up at him with tears glistening in his eyes.   
  
"Please, Master - I'm sorry, I honestly don't know what happened, why I wasn't here - please Master, don't replace me! I'll do better, I swear it - *please* Master!"   
  
Keying his communicator, Tuvok requested Harry Kim be beamed immediately to sickbay. As the familiar whine of the transporter began, the distraught Ensign could only gaze up in despair and bewilderment at the look of genuine concern on the Vulcan's face.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 2]   
  
"Explain yourself."   
  
Tuvok had put on a meditation robe and was standing once again in front of Harry. Summoning his courage, the young man began a halting explanation that sounded confused and disjointed even to his own ears. He tried to explain about the other time he had been transported to an alternate timeline, and the time with the two Voyagers and two Harry Kims, and the Starfleet logs that detailed the times other ships had visited the 'Evil Empire' universe - but the three explanations and the story of his own universe got tangled up in a hopeless muddle. Tuvok heard him out in silence, and eventually appeared to have gleaned enough from Harry's story to work out what the young man was trying to tell him. It was an interesting tale.   
  
Harry's voice finally petered out and he dared to raise his eyes once again to this stranger who was the exact replica of Tuvok.   
  
Tuvok said nothing, but motioned him with one finger to come forward. Hesitantly, Harry rose to his knees and shuffled forwards towards the Vulcan, who placed his hands on the younger man's face in what Harry recognised to be the usual position of the Vulcan mind meld. A momentary surprise at the thought that Tuvok would do something so personal without even asking permission crossed Harry's mind, but at that moment he felt the intrusion of another mind on his. Minutes later, Tuvok removed his hands from Harry's face, and took a seat on the couch.   
  
"You may get dressed, Ensign Kim. You will find a uniform in the bedroom."   
  
Harry had forgotten his nakedness until that moment and blushed with embarrassment as he got to his feet and went into the bedroom. Tuvok's quarters were much as he remembered them from his own Voyager, but there was a double bed instead of a single one, and several of the drawers were filled with Harry's own possessions. He recognised most of the clothes, and was further surprised to see his regulation Starfleet uniform hanging in the closet. As he dressed, he recalled the reports from the two Enterprise ships who had encountered the 'Evil Empire'. He was sure that the uniforms had been different in the other reality.   
  
But there wasn't much point pondering questions he didn't have the answers to. When he had finished dressing, he went back into the main room in time to see Tuvok emerging from the bathroom, also attired in his Starfleet uniform.   
  
"The Captain is expecting us." Tuvok went to the door and strode off down the corridor, clearly used to having a Harry Kim who immediately obeyed his every command. Bemusedly, and not a little nervous about meeting a Captain who was possibly from another 'Evil Empire' - Harry hurried after the Vulcan.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 1]   
  
Captain Janeway was worried. Harry Kim had required a sedative upon his arrival at sickbay - such was his hysteria at the possibility of his 'Master' replacing him. He was now sipping soup under the watchful eye of his friend of both universes, Tom Paris.   
  
Both Tuvok and Tom Paris had also come to sickbay, each giving their version of the strange behaviour Harry had exhibited in the last hour. The Captain had asked Tuvok to leave whilst she questioned Harry after the Doctor revived him and she was glad she had done so. What a curious tale!   
  
It had taken a while to put all the pieces together, and as soon as the story became clear, Chakotay had done a check of all personnel. Apparently Harry was the only one affected by the strange nebula-cloud they had just traveled through. The ship had sent out a standard energy pulse that was designed to light the nebula enough for the sensors to 'see' their way through. Something had happened during that pulse, though, and after much research, B'Elanna could only confirm that the nebula somehow existed on two planes, and for some unknown reason, had swapped one person from each plane with the other. B'Elanna's theory on why it was Harry that was swapped was easier to understand. When Harry had travelled into an alternate universe, the trip had left him with a unique transporter 'signature', and B'Elanna believed that the entity had somehow picked up on this. The question was, how were they to get their own Harry Kim back?   
  
Because it was clear that *this* Harry Kim was definitely not the Harry Kim Voyager was used to.   
  
*This* Harry Kim had spent several years on Vulcan, after being 'chosen' and trained to be a slave. He had attended Starfleet Academy because his Master was a Starfleet officer and whilst Starfleet expected Vulcans to bring their slaves onboard, it was difficult to get a good posting unless one's slave was a useful crew member. This Harry Kim had accompanied his Master onboard the Maquis ship, and had transferred his and his Master's belongings back to their rightful ship, Voyager, after Tuvok's deception had no longer been necessary.   
  
This Harry Kim had met Captain Janeway several years before Voyager's arrival in the Delta Quadrant and had been the indentured slave and personal property of her friend, Tuvok, for more than five years.   
  
The Captain had tried to keep the story under wraps, but this gossip was just too juicy. The ship was buzzing with the story, and Chakotay and B'Elanna had been trying for hours to find a way to return this Harry Kim to his own Voyager.   
  
It was clear from Ensign Kim's tale that pretty much everything except his and Tuvok's history was the same on the other Voyager. He recognised all the crew members he had seen, and had seen no discernible difference between this ship and crew, and his own.   
  
And apart from showing a disconcerting desire to kneel in front of Tuvok whenever the Vulcan entered Sickbay, this Harry Kim seemed not very different from their own.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 2]   
  
Their own Harry Kim was also amazed at the similarity of the two Universes. Captain Janeway was not the ogre he had imagined, and the crew all seemed exactly the same. It was strangely off-putting to discover that in this universe, all Vulcan males had a personal slave. The slaves could be male or female, and were generally human in this day and age. Vulcan slaves were rare, ever since the Vulcan race had come to the rescue of an ailing Earth during the very early stages of the war with the Romulans. The United Federation of Planets had been born, and Earth had prospered, just as in Harry's own universe.   
  
But the Vulcan custom of training and using slaves was one that was accepted and encouraged on Earth. Many families, (like Harry's own family it seemed!) made the decision to accept the 'protection' of a Vulcan male, and provide the services of a bonded slave. Harry's education had been paid for by Tuvok, his entrance into Starfleet Academy sponsored by his owner.   
  
It was fortunate that Harry and Tom were such good friends in this universe also, because there was no way Harry was going to ask Tuvok the personal questions regarding their relationship that he needed to know.   
  
When Harry had been cleared from Sickbay, he and Tom went to Paris' quarters. The issue of where Harry was to sleep had fortunately been discussed in his absence, and it was decided that he would sleep on Tom's couch until they could come up with a solution.   
  
Tom had given as much information about Harry and Tuvok's relationship as he could and had clearly been surprised at the shock Harry had displayed when he had heard some of the more interesting details.   
  
According to Tom, Tuvok had 'sponsored' Harry from his early teens, but the two had not become sexually intimate until Harry's seventeenth birthday. Harry had spent several years on Vulcan prior to this, learning as much about the language and culture as he could. It was assumed that Harry would enter Starfleet, and he had done so under Tuvok's auspices. Tuvok had taken a teaching position at Starfleet headquarters for part of Harry's training, and when he had gone to join Captain Janeway's crew onboard Voyager, he had been joined by a newly graduated Harry Kim soon after.   
  
It was hard to take it all in. Harry was annoyed at Tom's easy presumption that his place at Starfleet and amongst the crew of Voyager was due to Tuvok's intervention.   
  
"Tom - in *my* universe I got through Starfleet *and* got onto the crew of Voyager all by myself, thank you very much! I didn't need Tuvok's ....... sponsorship!" His obvious distaste for the euphemism drew a laugh from Tom.   
  
"Harry - we all know how competent you are. I'll admit, in the early days, some of the crew treated you a little condescendingly because they figured you were only on the crew because of Tuvok. But let's face it - you've proved yourself. You're friends with practically everyone on board and you're good at your job!"   
  
The younger man gazed in amazement at his friend.   
  
"But didn't you think it was strange? I mean, me being ....... you know," still he was having trouble saying the word.   
  
"Tuvok's slave, you mean?" Tom had no such qualms. "Harry - Vulcan's have had human slaves for over a century. Some of my friends at the Academy were Vulcans' slaves - there's nothing strange about it."   
  
"But ..."   
  
"Harry - look, I know this must seem weird to you. To be honest, it seems a little strange to me, having you here, talking about Tuvok like this. I mean - we've always been friends. I taught you to play pool! You're my best friend, but I know that unless Tuvok is on duty you'll be in his quarters every night. That's just the way it is."   
  
Harry swallowed, trying to find the words to ask a question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to.   
  
"Tom - when I first, you know........ came here ....:" Harry paused, not sure how to phrase something that had been on his mind for a while. In the end, the only way to get the answers he needed was to blurt it out.   
  
"Tuvok hit me".   
  
Tom's concerned expression hadn't changed. Clearly this was not a new concept for him.   
  
"Yeah?" It was unspoken, but the words 'so what?' were clear.   
  
"You mean he just hits me whenever he feels like it? Tuvok?" Harry wasn't sure what horrified him more - the thought that he was in such an abusive and one-sided relationship, or the idea that Tuvok of all people could ill-treat anyone.   
  
Tom's fair face was slightly flushed as he answered. "Well - it doesn't happen that often, only when you've done something wrong. It's kind of embarrassing but it's the way you and Tuvok are."   
  
Dazed by this knowledge, the sound of the intercom chiming barely penetrated. Harry got to his feet, however, when the Captain entered Tom's quarters.   
  
"Mr Paris, I would like a word with Ensign Kim." Tom was responding to the command before the words were even out of the Captain's mouth. As the door shut behind him, the Captain took a seat on the couch and gestured Harry to do the same.   
  
"How are you, Ensign Kim?" Her face, her voice, her tone - she was an exact replica of his own Captain Janeway. And yet, she also did not see anything strange in the fact that her Ops officer belonged to her Chief of Security.   
  
"I'm ah, a little stunned by the whole thing, Captain." For a moment, her comforting look of sympathy helped, but more pressing matters had to be attended to.   
  
"Is there any word on how I came to be here - or how I get back?"   
  
"I'm afraid I don't have positive news for you at the moment, Harry." The Captain went on to explain that B'Elanna and Chakotay had figured out how the transfer had taken place, but were not confident about the chances of reversing the process.   
  
"There is a very good chance, Harry, that you may be here permanently." The Captain's voice was gentle, but his knowledge of her counterpart told him that there was worse news to come.   
  
"And?"   
  
"And I have discussed that possibility with Tuvok. Harry - in our universe, the bond between a Vulcan Master and his slave is sacred, not to be broken by anyone."   
  
"But it's slavery!" Harry broke in, unable to hide his shock at her easy acceptance of that fact.   
  
"Yes it is, Harry - but it's voluntary slavery. No-one is forced into servitude, and indenture is not formalised until the slaves are of adult age. Whilst the owner generally assumes the financial responsibility of his slave, humans are not bought and sold. To be the slave of a Vulcan gives humans opportunities to learn and travel that they would never have had before."   
  
"That's not true!" Harry burst out. "In my universe I went through Starfleet and got onto Voyager's crew all by myself! I didn't need Tuvok's help!"   
  
"That may be, Harry - but *this* universe is one you may reside in for the rest of your life. And in this universe, Harry Kim is the indentured slave of Tuvok of Vulcan."   
  
"So ........ you're saying that if you can't get me back to my Voyager I'll have to become Tuvok's slave?!" The horror in Harry's voice was obvious.   
  
"There are others onboard Voyager who would gladly fill the position, but quite frankly, I'm not sure the rest of the crew would understand why *you* of all people would be exempt."   
  
"But ......" there were a dozen arguments against that, and Harry struggled to verbalise them, "for one thing - I am NOT the Harry Kim who was Tuvok's slave! I have the same rights as any other crew member onboard Voyager when it comes to replacing the other Harry Kim!"   
  
"As Tuvok pointed out to me this morning, Harry Kim was trained for the role of his slave. For all legal and ethical intents and purposes, Tuvok *owns* Harry Kim. And you are Harry Kim."   
  
"But I don't have the training you're talking about - I don't speak Vulcan! I don't know anything about being a slave!"   
  
Again the Captain had an answer. "Tuvok has generously undertaken to train you, and there really isn't much need for you to understand Vulcan. You'll pick it up quite quickly, I'm sure."   
  
Her optimism was misplaced as Harry made a final, desperate try.   
  
"But you said that slavery was optional. That slaves chose to serve their Masters. I don't want to serve Tuvok. I don't want to be a slave!"   
  
Captain Janeway sighed. "Ultimately, Harry - it's your choice. I won't force you to become something you have no desire to be. It just makes things ...... difficult."   
  
"Difficult in what way?" Suspicion had entered Harry's tone, but the relief he had felt upon hearing the Captain's last words had left him almost giddy.   
  
"Harry - it is less than three weeks before Tuvok is due to undergo the Ponn Far. There is no way that he can build enough of a connection with anyone else in time. That's why Vulcans are bonded at such an early age - it usually takes years to build up a strong enough relationship to withstand the mental and physical rigours of the Ponn Far. But in this case Tuvok's only chance is with you. He knows your counterpart intimately, and is sure that a connection can be forged if you are willing. In denying his claim to you, you are - in fact - sentencing him to death."   
  
Oh God. She might look like Janeway - she might sound like Janeway - but this Captain had obviously learnt the value of blackmail somewhere along the way.   
  
"I have to think about this."   
  
"Of course." The Captain left him alone on the couch. Dazed and confused doesn't begin to cover it, Harry thought, somewhat hysterically.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 1]   
  
The other Ensign Harry Kim was no less dazed and confused. The entire crew had been very nice to him, and they seemed as familiar as his own - except for Tuvok. The Vulcan had not come anywhere near him since leaving Sickbay and Kim missed his presence desperately. It was only when it was gone that he realised how much he had come to rely on his position in Tuvok's life. Knowing how to serve his Master was had anchored him - given him purpose. The interview he had had with the Captain didn't help his feeling of displacement.   
  
"Harry - this whole thing just doesn't seem *right* to me. The thought that Vulcans would have slaves....... it's almost incomprehensible!"   
  
The Ensign's rather beautiful features showed the confusion he was still experiencing in this strange universe. "Captain, I know things are different here - Tom's told me enough to know that. It seems strange to me that you feel the way you do about the system. Being slave to a Vulcan is an honourable and respected position - extremely advantageous to both parties. I can't imagine life without my Master. He *is* my life."   
  
"But Harry - how much of that was your training? You said you spent several years on Vulcan training to be Tuvok's slave. I know our own Harry Kim went through the Academy and got his position on Voyager through his own efforts, and he seemed quite happy without a Master in his life."   
  
"I don't know, Captain. But it wasn't just the training. Before applicants are matched with their owners, an extensive personality test is undertaken. We suited perfectly, the training was just to assist me in my role as his servant. I had to understand Vulcan customs, and be taught how to serve him properly."   
  
"Well, Harry - B'Elanna is working hard on a solution to this problem, but you may have to face up to the possibility that you could be on this Voyager permanently. How do you feel about that?"   
  
"But ....... I wouldn't serve Tuvok?" His voice broke slightly on the question and the Captain's heart wrenched at the pain in his voice.   
  
"No, Harry. The Tuvok on this ship would feel very uncomfortable owning a slave. He's a completely different person to your Master. To be honest, I think I would feel very uncomfortable knowing you were in that sort of position on board my ship."   
  
Janeway had to strain to hear the words he spoke, and felt a deep sympathy for the young man in front of her.   
  
"But .... it's who I am, Captain." His pain-filled gaze met hers and she could not give him the assurance he sought.   
  
"I think you need some time to yourself, Harry. Tom will show you to your quarters."   
  
Several days had passed and still B'Elanna was no closer to finding a solution. Kim had been temporarily relieved of duties on the bridge, and had been spending as much time as he could with Tom and Kes. The whole concept of Harry Kim being Tuvok's slave was incomprehensible to them, but the misery Harry was feeling was easy to see.   
  
And still Tuvok avoided him. Clearly, the Vulcan was uncomfortable knowing that there was someone on board with intimate knowledge of him - or at least, of his counterpart. Harry had tried to talk to the Vulcan, but to no avail. Tuvok was pulling double shifts on the bridge and spending considerable amounts of time assisting B'Elanna and Chakotay in trying to reverse the process that had taken place.   
  
And Kim missed him terribly. Playing pool with Tom had always been fun, and the conversations he had with other crew members were pretty much like any that he'd had with the same crew members on his own Voyager. But a giant chunk of his life was missing and Harry felt completely adrift. Sleep was impossible without Tuvok beside him. He had been sharing the Vulcan's bed for more than five years now - since his seventeenth birthday in fact - and it was impossible to sleep without being curled around that hot, lean body.   
  
As the days passed and they came no nearer to a solution, the Captain discussed their options with Chakotay. It was obvious through some basic testing that Harry had the training and experience of their own Harry Kim, and if they could not find a way to return him to his own Voyager, he needed a job to take his mind off his 'Master'. The problem, of course, was that Tuvok was also on the bridge and the two men would have to come to *some* understanding if they were to communicate effectively on the bridge.   
  
And so it was with reluctance that Tuvok obeyed his Captain's order to discuss the matter fully with Ensign Kim. As he entered the Ensign's quarters that very evening, he was privately relieved to see that the young man had controlled his urge to kneel before him.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 2]   
  
Harry was in his own form of hell. There was no way - *no way* that he was going to become Tuvok's slave. If he had to become the Vulcan's lover in order to save his life, then he would - but become a servant he would not. The Captain had been less than impressed with his offer, but had put it to Tuvok anyway. Tuvok had told her that the compromise would not be satisfactory, and that as Harry did not wish to become his slave, he considered the matter closed.   
  
And so it was that the entire ship knew within a matter of hours that Harry Kim had sentenced their Security Chief to death.   
  
Tom and B'Elanna both tried hard to pretend that nothing was wrong, but it was clear that his decision had shocked them. Captain Janeway had been as generous as only she could be. In a shipwide announcement, she had told the crew about the 'exchange' of the two Harry Kims and had made it clear that this Harry Kim was a very different one from their own Harry Kim and she expected him to be treated as the welcome guest to the ship that he was.   
  
In a briefing with the senior officers, Janeway had explained Harry's position on the 'Tuvok situation'. Tuvok minded the bridge, and thus did not see the reactions of his fellow officers, which ranged from amazement to outright anger. With Harry safely in sickbay undergoing a complete physical, Janeway calmed her officers and explained as best she could Harry's viewpoint. Her orders were clear, however. No-one on the ship was to blame Harry for feeling the way he did, and the senior staff were to be on the lookout for anyone who made things difficult for the young Ensign.   
  
It was Chakotay who stated the obvious for all to hear. "Captain, assuming we *don't* find a solution to the problem, how on earth is Harry going to maintain a stable position within the crew after........?" He was referring, of course, to the aftermath of Tuvok's Ponn Far. The Captain looked as troubled as all of them. "Chakotay, I can't force Harry to become Tuvok's slave. The very idea seems to go against everything he knows in his universe. We'll all just have to be as supportive of both of them as we can. If Harry is to stay in this universe, he's going to need all the friends he can get if Tuvok dies." She looked closely at Tom and B'Elanna at this stage, her message clear. The two lieutenants glanced at each other, and nodded their agreement.   
  
Later the same day, Tom was wondering how much longer Harry would put up with the treatment he was receiving from the crew. Most of them ignored him completely, and obviously, but many were downright hostile. News had spread throughout the ship in the usual speedy fashion, and the crew were making it clear that they considered Harry Kim little short of a murderer. So far, no-one had confronted him directly, mainly because both Tom and B'Elanna had stuck close. But B'Elanna had just been called away to engineering and Tom knew it wouldn't be much longer before someone had a go at Harry.   
  
He was right. Megan Delaney showed none of the reticence of the rest of the crew, sitting down at their table and coming straight to the point. "Look, Harry - I just have to ask you one thing. Why are you doing this to Tuvok? Don't you like your own Tuvok? Do you want to get back at him for something by murdering *our* Tuvok?" The bitchy comment had been pitched deliberately so that most of the people in Sandrines could hear what was being said. Harry took a deep breath, trying to calm the rising temper.   
  
"Megan, I offered to be Tuvok's lover during the Ponn Far. He turned me down. I'm not committing murder, he's committing suicide."   
  
Baxter, who had been leaning on the bar and listening in to the conversation, came over to the table when he heard that comment and joined in the argument.   
  
"Vulcans don't take human lovers, Harry - anyone knows that. Why should he have to change for you? You're his slave, his possession. I don't even know why the Captain is giving you a choice in this."   
  
A murmur of agreement came from the crowd, and Tom judged it time intervene.   
  
"Look, everyone - this isn't the same Harry Kim. He doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to, okay? Come on, Harry." Pulling a white-faced Harry to his feet, Tom shouldered his way through what was almost becoming an angry mob, and got himself and Harry out of the Holodeck before things became violent.   
  
Harry was silent during the trip to the turbo-lift. He'd never felt so angry - or so lonely - in his life. Tom had defended him, but his defense lacked conviction. Harry knew full well that while his friend of two universes would defend his right to make the decision he had, Tom did not understand it. As the turbo-lift made its way up to the floor where Tom's quarters were housed, Harry asked him a question. "You think I should do it, don't you?"   
  
Tom flushed slightly, and avoided the question. "Harry, you have a right to do whatever you think is right. Don't let anyone else try and force you into doing something you don't want to do."   
  
Again the frustration welled up in the younger man, as they made their way out of the turbo-lift and towards Tom's quarters. "I offered to go through the Ponn Far with Tuvok, Tom - he doesn't have to die. It's *his* choice to do that. Why can't anyone else see that?"   
  
Tom's hesitation was due this time to the consideration he gave the point. As they entered his quarters and began preparing for bed, he tried to give an honest answer without hurting his friend. "I guess it's because we've all had a lifetime of growing up with the certainty that Vulcans have human slaves, not human lovers. I know it seems weird to you Harry, but then - your universe seems weird to me! You've said yourself that there are a lot of Vulcans in Starfleet. What happens if they get stranded from Vulcan and their time comes? They just take pot-luck?"   
  
His bewilderment showed in the question, and Harry was hard pressed to find an answer.   
  
"Well - I guess they try and plan it so that they won't be away when it happens. I mean, who knew that Voyager would be pulled into the Delta Quadrant?"   
  
Tom shrugged. "Seems like they're asking for trouble in my opinion. Vulcans are too valuable just to waste because they haven't planned something right. I mean, what does the rest of the crew do, just watch their crewmate die?" He flushed again as he realised what he'd just said. "I didn't mean......."   
  
Harry shook his head resignedly. "Yeah, I know, Tom. I just wish I could fathom why on earth any version of me would be happy being Tuvok's slave."   
  
Tom tried his best to explain.   
  
"Harry - we're best friends, right? Even in the other universe. I know you better than anyone - except for Tuvok, of course."   
  
"Of course." The bitterness in Harry's tone was ignored by the Pilot.   
  
"Harry loved Tuvok. You and the other Harry are a lot alike, fun, a little naive, maybe - but there's a difference between you. The other Harry - *our* Harry - seems a lot more confident than you do. He's always had an inner strength, and I guess meeting you kind of makes me think that it comes from his relationship with Tuvok."   
  
"A lot of the crew were kind of rough on Harry in the beginning, but he never lost his cool. I know he missed his parents a lot, 'cause they were kind of close, but Harry was *happy*. Serving Tuvok made him complete, even though they were both 70 years from home, Harry has always been content. I've never known Harry to be unhappy, except when he did something wrong and Tuvok punished him."   
  
Harry was bitter. "Yeah - by hitting him? And you just let your best friend be knocked around by that guy?"   
  
Tom looked shocked. "Harry -- no-one can interfere between a Vulcan and his slave! It'd be like the Federation insisting that the Ferengi dress their women! Or that the Klingons stop eating Gakh! It's a part of the servant/Master relationship - Harry's explained it to me enough times for me to know that much at least."   
  
"So how did he feel when Tuvok hit him?" The question was important to Harry. He wondered if there were something in his personality that would make him a perfect slave. If the alternate-universe Harry was so suited for the position, what did that say about him?   
  
"It's not like it happened that often. And Harry was always way more upset at having failed in his duties than he was at the punishment. It was always pretty mild, a black eye once, a bruise or two, but that's been the sum of it. I never mentioned it after the first time, Harry was that upset about it."   
  
Harry heaved a giant sigh. "Oh, Tom - I just wish you could meet the Tuvok from my universe. He would never dream of owning a slave, and could never hurt me in a million years! God, I wish I was there."   
  
Tom's eyes showed sympathy at his friend's unhappiness, but he understood the feeling.   
  
"Yeah - I kinda wish the old Harry was back. Not that it isn't great to have you here, but the more time I spend with you the more I miss him, somehow. Sorry."   
  
They finished their preparations for bed in silence, and when Harry settled down on the couch he knew that sleep would be a long time coming.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 1]   
  
Whilst Ensign Kim was identical in looks to their own Harry - it was clear that his closest friends aboard Voyager felt the difference. B'Elanna had been working almost non-stop since the exchange in an effort to find a way to reverse the process, and they were still no closer to a solution. The Voyager gossips found it interesting that Tom Paris was putting in long hours, trying to find a solution to the problem, but it was curious that Tuvok was also putting in extra time in engineering.   
  
For the most part, the rest of the crew had accepted this Harry Kim as easily as their own, with a few exceptions. Kes and Neelix both found it difficult to understand how the rest of the crew could mistake the two Harry Kims - they were essentially two completely different people. And the Captain was beginning to feel the same way. The more she found out about Kim's universe, the more she worried about how their own Harry would be faring.   
  
After many hours of argument, Tuvok had agreed to bond with Kim during his Ponn Far. It was, after all, the only logical solution. Kim had been almost hysterical at the thought of Tuvok - even this Tuvok - dying because he had no mate for the Ponn Far, and after all, he certainly had the knowledge and the training to cope with the mating. When Janeway had pointed out, quite forcibly, that the loss of an experience bridge officer for no reason other than pride was an illogical waste of resources, Tuvok had eventually given in.   
  
And since that time, he and Ensign Kim had spent several hours every evening in his quarters. The news had predictably spread throughout the ship like wildfire, but Tuvok had expected nothing less. After a week, the crew had finally stopped looking for a change in either the Vulcan or their new Ops officer, assuming - quite correctly - that Vulcans do NOT indulge in public displays of affection.   
  
Tuvok was already regretting his decision. This Harry Kim bore no resemblance to Voyager's own Harry Kim, for all he looked and spoke, and walked and even laughed exactly the same way. The first night Harry had come to his quarters had raised a number of questions in the Vulcan's mind. The younger man had been taken aback to be invited to sit with Tuvok during the meal, but had not displayed any hesitation in conversing on all manner of topics during dinner. Kim had immediately cleared the area after the meal, and had automatically gone to kneel at Tuvok's feet, only to hesitate, and then resume his seat at the table.   
  
One that first night, the two spent several hours discussing the concept of the master/servant relationship, as it had applied in Kim's own universe. The younger many answered questions readily enough and had a few of his own that Tuvok found somewhat difficult to answer. Kim had been completely honest with him, and it seemed unfair to prevaricate when he asked how Tuvok felt about his counterpart.   
  
Tuvok struggled to explain. "You have had identical experiences to our Harry Kim, so I assume you recall the time when Voyager was duplicated and one Harry, the Harry on our ship, died?"   
  
Kim simply nodded. Tuvok had been a tower of strength during a time when his slave had felt confused and displaced after joining that other crew.   
  
Tuvok continued with his story. The lights in his quarters were low, and the two were still seated at the table where they had eaten the evening meal. The Vulcan's face was in shadows, but Kim knew his Master well enough to be able to read this Tuvok quite easily.   
  
"The ship was in chaos. There was no time for anyone to grieve at the news of Mr Kim's death. And then, hours later, his....... replacement joined the crew. It was the same Harry Kim that I had known and respected for a long time, but for a few hours. Everyone seemed to accept him without a qualm, but I found it difficult to forget the hours serving aboard a Voyager where Harry Kim was dead."   
  
The slave remained silent, knowing there was more to come.   
  
"It was several days after the incident that I found myself alone with Mr Kim. The ship was undergoing intense repairs, and Mr Kim had been working on the Operations Board. It was very late in the shift, and the other officers were all off duty. The ship was being piloted from engineering. Harry and I were the only ones on the bridge, and we found ourselves discussing his feelings about his counterpart's death, and his own exchange. He had been unable to discuss the matter with anyone else, and I appreciated the confidences he shared with me."   
  
"Did you ever tell him how you felt about him?"   
  
Tuvok was unsurprised at the slave's intuition. Even having known him such a short time, it was clear that very little about the Vulcan missed the younger man.   
  
"I did not. He showed no indication of .......... it would have been inappropriate for me to ........"   
  
The slave smiled at that. It was so strange talking in this manner to someone who was so like his own Master! Being without his Master was like a constant ache in his heart, and all that kept him going at the moment was the belief that somehow B'Elanna would find a way to reverse the exchange. Until that happened, Kim felt it his duty to keep this man alive, and to help him in any way he could.   
  
"Sir - in my universe, one must apply to become a slave. It's usually done at a young age, 10 or thereabouts. I was 11. My Master had been invited to dine with my parents whilst he was on Earth to speak at a conference my father was chairing. My brother and I sat at the dinner table, and Tuvok spoke to me twice. My father had told him how I had helped in preparations for the conference and he asked me about that. Then later we discussed a simple temporal physics problem that I had been struggling over for homework."   
  
"After he left, my brother and I went to bed and I could hear my parents discussing the evening downstairs. My brother wasn't that impressed with Tuvok - in his position at the Science Institute my father often invited important people home to dinner and Tuvok didn't stand out from the crowd as far as my brother was concerned. I couldn't stop thinking about him. The next morning, I asked my mother how I could apply to become Tuvok's slave."   
  
"My parents were surprised at my request, but they took it seriously. They explained about the slaving process - that I would have to apply and sit a number of tests, and it was highly unlikely that I would be paired with Tuvok. The panel tested everything from personality to intelligence in order to match a human slave with a Vulcan and thousands of humans applied each year. My parents thought I would outgrow the idea, but I didn't. I sat each of the tests, was interviewed by several panels, and finally allowed to submit an application."   
  
"I had turned 14 before the panel on Earth reviewed my application and granted an interview with the Vulcan panel. My parents had finally come to the understanding that I was very serious about this, and they supported me throughout the process. Three months later, I was informed that the Panel had reached a decision. The multitude of tests I had undergone showed me to be an excellent match for Tuvok, and he had agreed to meet with me."   
  
"When he arrived at the house, he spoke to my parents for a long time. Finally we went for a walk in the gardens and talked. We discussed everything - the slavery contract, Vulcan customs, my future, my education, his career. After several hours, he turned to face me, and took my face in his hands. He looked straight into my eyes as he told me exactly what being a slave entailed. I would belong to him completely, I would exist to serve him. He would make decisions concerning my life and I would have no say in any of it. He had the right to beat me if I disobeyed him." Tuvok was fascinated at the narrative despite himself. The slave continued.   
  
"I had known this man for such a brief time, but I knew without any doubt in my mind that I wanted to belong to him. The thought of having to complete my schooling on Vulcan, and the idea that Tuvok would control every aspect of my life scared me - but I knew that it was right for me. I spent two more weeks at my parent's house before flying to Vulcan for my training. I spent all my holidays back home with my parents and my brother, but I didn't return to Earth until two weeks prior to my seventeenth birthday. I could speak Vulcan fluently, had finished my high school and pre-Starfleet Academy training with honours, and had been trained to be an ideal slave. I hadn't seen Tuvok since that night in the garden and wouldn't see him until the night of my seventeenth birthday, when he would take me to his quarters on Earth, and we would become lovers."   
  
Tuvok was so engrossed in the tale the slave was telling, that it took an extra moment before he became aware of his communicator chirping. It was with considerable regret that he took leave of the slave to answer the Captain's summons to the bridge. However, the younger man had given him a lot to think about.   
  
..oo00oo..   
  
On the second night, and for the nights that followed, Tuvok and Kim played chess, Tuvok being surprised at the level of ability Kim showed at the game.   
  
With his usual confidence, Tuvok had assumed that once this Harry Kim was shown a taste of life in this universe, he would appreciate his freedom and even perhaps, begin to resent the years he had spent as a servant. Sadly, the opposite was true. His concentration never wavered on the bridge, and his manner with Tuvok was always deferential and eager to please, but it was clear that Harry Kim the slave missed his Master and his life onboard the other Voyager with a vengeance.   
  
It was a shock to Tuvok to discover that Kim loved his Master passionately, and saw his duties as his way of showing that love. The thought of their own Harry Kim in that position was disconcerting, to say the least, but Tuvok had other problems to think about. His Ponn Far was fast approaching, and soon he and Kim would have to begin the first stages of mental bonding. Sexual intimacy would follow soon after.   
  
And whilst the slave was the perfect companion for Tuvok, it felt *wrong*. Kim had a wide knowledge of Vulcan customs, history and heritage, and Tuvok found himself able to talk about his homeworld to another person for the first time in several years. Then there was his proficiency in chess - currently the computer was the only worthy opponent Tuvok had and he was weary of playing with a machine. Kim understood the ways of Vulcan, and did not chatter ceaselessly, as humans frequently did in his presence. His personal preferences of food, art and music matched Tuvok's own - and it was clear that his opinions on government and politics had been tailored to suit his Master's. But somehow, it still felt wrong.   
  
And time was running out. What if he bonded to his young man for his Ponn Far, only to discover there was no way to return him to his own universe? It would be cruelty itself to abandon him after the mating - anyway, the equivalent of Vulcan divorce required the presence of Vulcan's High Priestess to officiate the mental separation. Once they were bonded, he and Kim would be stuck together for life. Unless, of course, they found a way to reverse the process which had bought him here ............. he really had to spend some more hours in engineering - there had to be a way!   
  
Thinking about how Voyager's own Harry would be coping in the other universe was and unprofitable exercise, Tuvok told himself sternly, the years of Vulcan training allowing him to ignore the heady streak of jealousy for that other Tuvok, the Master.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 2]   
  
The hazing of Harry Kim had continued unabated aboard Voyager. The senior officers had tried to put a stop to it, but it was clear that a small section of the crew were in the mood to punish *someone* and nothing would stop them. When Harry went to the Mess Hall, it didn't matter where he sat, the tables around him would empty fast. The same thing happened at Sandrines, only it was worse there because there would usually be a group of trouble makers. Some of the crew had taken to calling Harry "killer" - only they were careful never to do it within the hearing of Harry's protectors. That job had fallen mainly to Tom and Chakotay, as B'Elanna was spending most of her spare time in engineering, working on a way to get Harry back to his own universe, and return their own Harry.   
  
The tired Ensign had started avoiding the Mess Hall and the Holodeck, and tried to time his trips to and from the bridge so that he could go with Tom, but as Tom was doing a full shift, there were opportunities daily for Harry to be held up and verbally abused by members of the crew. He wasn't getting much sleep and the harassment was taking it's toll.   
  
..oo00oo..   
  
Harry hesitated at the door to Tuvok's quarters. He still didn't quite know how to put into words what he wanted to say to the Vulcan, and the memory of the last time they had been alone in his quarters was embarrassingly at the forefront of his memory. Two crewmembers walked past, saw him waiting at the entrance of Tuvok's quarters, and snickered. That made up Harry's mind pretty quickly. Soon the entire ship would be gossiping about the possible reasons Harry could be visiting the Vulcan alone in his quarters and things were bad enough at the moment without that also.   
  
He pressed the entry buzzer, and walked into Tuvok's quarters after the computer released the doors at the Vulcan's command. Tuvok was seated on the lounge, reading what looked to be a Vulcan science manual. When he saw who his visitor was, he put the book to one side, and silently gestured for Harry to take a seat.   
  
Avoiding the couch, Harry sat at one of the single chairs that faced it. He suddenly felt horribly self-conscious, a feeling which was not helped by the steady gaze from across the coffee table.   
  
Harry cleared his throat nervously, and began to speak. "Tuvok, I, um..... I need to know something." He finished the sentence in a rush, looking expectantly at the Vulcan who did nothing more than raise one elegantly pointed eyebrow in query.   
  
Flushing slightly, Harry continued. "Why won't you take me as a lover? Why do I have to ......." He would *not* say that word in front of Tuvok.   
  
It had to be his imagination, because Tuvok's expression certainly hadn't changed in the last minute or so, but Harry would have sworn that he was amused by the younger man's reticence.   
  
"It would be difficult to build a strong enough connection with you, Ensign Kim, in the time allowed. If I were to undertake to enter a relationship quite outside my realm of experience, it is highly improbable that we would be successful in maintaining the mental link required for a complete bonding."   
  
Harry was confused. "But, what would happen then? I mean, if we were ....... lovers, but only had a weak link - surely it would work anyway, wouldn't it?"   
  
As he wasn't even sure what it was that had to work, his question held a considerable amount of doubt.   
  
"The result would be that my mind would have no anchor during the time of Mating. Without a strong enough link to your mind, I would be unable to maintain any control over my physical impulses. There would be every likelihood that you would not survive the experience."   
  
That didn't sound particularly encouraging, but Harry's mind was already conceiving a way around the problem.   
  
"What if you were restrained? I mean, that way you couldn't hurt me badly, and I could ...... ah ñ take care of your, um ....... physical needs, as ....... ah....required." His face was bright red as he stumbled through that sentence.   
  
"Unfortunately, the Ponn Far is not just a physical experience but a mental one as well. Once I enter the final stages of the Ponn Far, I require a mental anchor to bring me back. Without that familiar mental signature, I would almost certainly go insane."   
  
That put a different slant on things. Harry tried one more time.   
  
"But you don't really know me! I'm a totally different person than the other Harry Kim - I put myself through Starfleet, I got my own commission aboard Voyager. And I grew up knowing that slavery was *wrong*. It would be like you trying to bond with a total stranger!"   
  
Tuvok's gaze was making him uncomfortable.   
  
"You are no stranger to me, Harry Kim. I know you. Your body and your mind, your thoughts and feelings, your regrets and your ambitions are as familiar to me as my own. You have lead a different life to my slave, but essentially you are the same person. There will be some difficulty as you adjust to your new position, but I believe I can overcome that."   
  
"What do you mean, 'as I adjust to my new position'? I haven't said yes!" Harry was quite indignant at the confidence the Vulcan was displaying.   
  
"But you will, Harry Kim." Tuvok showed no sign of doubt. "My own slave would no sooner allow a man to die needlessly when he could save him than he would......"   
  
"Talk back to you?" Harry interrupted with an almost unconscious challenge in his voice.   
  
This time the amusement in Tuvok's dry reply was very clear. "Indeed."   
  
Harry felt like the bars of a cage were closing in on him. He rose, only to find that Tuvok had also risen from the couch, and was standing very close to him. "I have to think about this," he muttered, turning away.   
  
One long arm shot out to halt his progress, and a firm hand tilted Harry's face to meet Tuvok's steady gaze.   
  
"It is illogical to waste further time, Harry. We both know what your eventual decision will be. There is little point in spending hours in increasingly nervous anticipation. Accept your role, and begin. Now."   
  
The command in his tone was one rarely used by Harry's own Tuvok, but he found himself responding to it automatically. Somehow the steady gaze was calming him, instead of increasing his panic, and there was an overwhelming temptation just to give in - to let someone else make his decisions for him.   
  
Harry closed his eyes with a sigh and his shoulders slumped in resignation. The sleepless nights and constant abuse from members of the crew over the past few days had taken an immense toll.  
  
He was very tired, and very alone, and fully aware that he could not stand by and let this Tuvok die. His words were whispered, but the Vulcan had no trouble hearing them.   
  
"All right."   
  
One long finger firmly tilted Harry's chin to raise the younger man's head. Tuvok did nothing more than raise an eyebrow, but his eyes were hard and demanding.   
  
Harry let out the breath he'd been holding, and allowed the tears that he'd held at bay to fill his eyes. This was a moment he had never thought would happen but he knew he was here by choice. The choice he had just made went against everything he believed in, but he had lived the alternative since he had come to this universe and it was worse.   
  
It was only a word, but it was also his promise, his pledge - and it was so hard to say. Harry knew, without a shadow of doubt, that after this there would be no going back. There was nothing more to do than to leap into the abyss and say it.   
  
"I am yours to command, Master."   
  
  
  
[Voyager 1]   
  
The Vulcan relaxed, and concentrated on returning his respiration and pulse rates to normal. Harry was still lapping gently at Tuvok's softening penis, having swallowed him whole moments before.   
  
After a final kiss, the younger man curled up against his body. As was his habit, Tuvok did not speak, using the time to think. Harry had come to his bed two nights ago, and the Vulcan could not turn him away. He had known that time was running out, and that shortly they would have to begin the mental bonding process. Sexual intimacy would help that process along, and in some ways, delayed the need to bond mentally.   
  
His meditation time in the last two days had been spent in an attempt to analyse the doubts he was experiencing during his relationship with the younger man. The sex was satisfactory. It was clear that the Ensign knew his body intimately, knew exactly how to stimulate him in order to provide maximum pleasure. Tuvok also knew that the younger man understood why he was allowed call the Vulcan 'Master'. It reminded him, particularly in moments of intimacy, that his young lover was *not* Harry Kim.   
  
Tuvok had known for a long time that he was attracted to the Ops Officer, but had not acted on that feeling. Harry Kim was young, and inexperienced. Tuvok watched from a distance as Harry double-dated with Tom Paris, watched as his love for the girl he'd left on earth faded, and was eventually all but forgotten. He watched for a sign - any sign - that Harry could return his feelings, but there was nothing more than the open friendship Harry offered every other crewmember.   
  
To use his counterpart in this fashion seemed wrong, and Tuvok knew that the slave was aware of Tuvok's attraction for the other Harry Kim. And so Tuvok remained silent during their lovemaking, reminding himself constantly *who* it was that he was with. Tuvok knew that the younger man also pretended that he was with the one he loved.   
  
The Ensign would curl up beside him, tucking his head on Tuvok's shoulder and holding him tightly, as though afraid that Tuvok would escape during the night. Neither of them mentioned the times the young slave cried himself to sleep.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 2] Harry was wearing the simple tunic of a slave and sitting on the couch in Tuvok's quarters beside his Master. Tuvok had made no demands of him, yet, sensing the difficulty he had in accepting his role and in accepting that *any* Harry Kim would be comfortable in the role.   
  
Tuvok's solution to that was quite simple. He offered Harry a view of the Master's first night with his slave - Harry's counterpart - in order to show the Ensign just how much the other the slave had wanted to be in the position Harry now held. It was an irresistible offer, so Harry relaxed enough to allow Tuvok's hands to span his head in that familiar fashion, and let the images come.   
  
//...........He'd been so excited - and so nervous! The day had been lovely - his parents and friends had put on a party for him and given gifts. There had been a few ribald comments from some of his more outgoing mates about what would take place that night, but Harry stood it all in good humour. It was hard to quell the excitement that was gradually increasing as the day went by, and when finally his friends left, Harry began the preparations for the evening. His mother spent some time with him, the quiet pride in her eyes going a long way towards stemming the tide of butterflies that had taken up residence in his stomach. She knew his apprehension was little more than a fear of not being an adequate lover for his beautiful Master. It was, after all, his very first time.   
  
"You'll be fine, Harry." She reassured him. He hugged her gently, and as her arms were around him it gave him the confidence to express his fears out loud.   
  
"Mom, what if I'm not good enough for him?" She drew away to hold her grown son by the shoulders and smile at his fears.   
  
"I think Tuvok would be quite taken aback if you began to display proficiency in this particular area, Harry." Her gentle teasing drew a smile from her son. "He will show you what pleases him, Harry - all he requires is your obedience."   
  
Harry drew a deep breath and let it out with a nervous laugh. "I want this so badly, and I'm scared that it'll be over before it begins."   
  
His mother chuckled softly. "You are seventeen years old, Harry - it's not as though he'd have to wait long before you were ready again."   
  
That comment drew a blush from her son, who laughed with her. The front door chime rang at that moment, and Harry looked up expectantly, his eyes alight with excitement, his mind already on his Master. Ruefully, his Mother followed her eager son down the stairs and to the front door, watching as it opened and he dropped to one knee to kiss his Master's hand. Tuvok's calm gaze settled on Mrs Kim and she smiled at the man who had come to mean so much to her son. His expression stayed in it's usual Vulcan impassivity but he nodded to her in greeting, as Harry rose to stand beside him.   
  
There was no need for words. Mrs Kim reached up to brush a recalcitrant lock of hair from Harry's forehead but his eyes were on Tuvok, his Mother forgotten. The Vulcan stepped back and gestured for Harry to preceed him to the groundcar which was parked neatly out front. He gave Mrs Kim the Vulcan salute and she gravely returned it, her eyes smiling at the gentle possessiveness she read in the Vulcan's gaze. Taking his leave from her, he joined Harry in the groundcar and sped them both on their way.   
  
They had eaten together which was unusual. Harry would have felt more comfortable serving his Master, but had been trained thoroughly enough to be able to hold down his part of the conversation with ease. As Harry cleared the table, Tuvok watched the beautiful young man, reading his nervousness clearly, but also intrigued and amused by the steadily increasing arousal emanating from his young slave.   
  
When everything was cleared away, Tuvok lead Harry to the bedroom. To delay further would only increase the younger man's apprehensiveness, and perhaps decrease his enjoyment of what was to follow. Harry was suitably dressed in his tunic, similar in looks to a short Roman toga. As befit his role for this and future evenings, he was naked underneath.   
  
In future evenings, it would be Harry's duty to remove his Master's clothing, but this evening, Tuvok preferred to strip quickly and efficiently rather than delay further. Naked, he silently undid the clasps on Harry's tunic which dropped to the floor, leaving his slave equally nude.   
  
Harry gazed upon his Master's body with a look of awe and pleasure in his expression. His own aching arousal was matched by Tuvok's hard, jutting cock. The earlier worry that he wouldn't last long came back with a vengeance now - he was this close just from being naked under his Master's gaze, how long could he possibly hold out if Tuvok were to touch him? Almost as if Tuvok had read his thought, a hot, Vulcan hand began idly exploring Harry's body. The young man was lean and fit, but heavily muscled, his nipples hard and aching for stimulation. Tuvok ran his hand down Harry's side, feeling the fast breathing under the rib cage and the trembling as he explored Harry's stomach, thighs and bottom. Raising his eyes once again to watch the reaction from his slave, he noted the worry and the nervousness in Harry's eyes, amidst the incredible arousal. Correctly deducing the reason for Harry's fears, Tuvok lead the younger man to the bed and lay down beside him. Harry wanted so badly to come he was aching. But even more importantly for him, was the desperate need to hold out longer. Tuvok had barely begun and he was already on the brink! Above all things, Harry did not want to disappoint his Master, but here, lying on the bed with Tuvok beside him - the very thought of that was almost enough to send him over the edge. Only his frantic need to hold on was curbing the natural instinct of his seventeen year old body to gain its release.   
  
Tuvok had watched the play of emotions across his slave's face, knowing full well every thought that was passing through that young mind. His hand moved up from it's gentle exploration of Harry's muscled body and cupped the younger man's face, tilting his head so that his slave could look directly into his eyes.   
  
When Harry's gaze was on his, his hand moved back down the younger man's body and began stroking the aching flesh between his legs. As Harry arched into his hand he leaned over to whisper, "You do not disappoint me, Harry." Pleasure flooded through Harry's body and he came then, harder than ever before, harder than any time he had stimulated himself with fantasies of Tuvok and he in exactly this situation.   
  
When he'd calmed down, the immediacy of his need slaked - Tuvok placed several fingers at points on his face, and initiated the deeper mind link Harry shuddered deliciously as the thoughts entered his mind, and smiled as the knowledge of how to please Tuvok intimately came with them. Then it was Tuvok's turn to lie back as Harry kissed, and licked and sucked his Master bringing them both to orgasm several times throughout the hours that followed...........//   
  
When Harry finally became aware of his surroundings again, he could tell from the position of the stars outside the viewport that it was several hours later. The incredible eroticism of the scene he had witnessed third hand left him drained - and overwhelmed. There was no doubting the love between Master and slave, but what confused Harry the most was how right it had felt for him to be in Tuvok's bed, in Tuvok's arms. The knowledge that this Tuvok and the other Harry had a mental link strong enough for Tuvok to have been able to communicate the slave's thoughts and feelings was awe-inspiring. Hesitantly, he raised his eyes to meet his Master's gaze.   
  
Tuvok rose to his feet and gestured for Harry to follow him into the bedroom. Harry looked at the double bed fearfully, but the Vulcan did no more than wait beside the bed expectantly. Harry moved to stand before him, and began his nightly duty of removing his Master's clothes in preparation for bed. His fingers fumbled slightly over the task, but he was not punished.   
  
Tuvok watched in silence as Harry put the clothes in the refresher, and neatly stowed the shoes in the cupboard. Harry's hands shook slightly as he removed the slave's tunic he wore, leaving himself as naked as his Master. Tuvok was prepared to be generous this evening, and he gestured for Harry to lie on the bed, gently lay down beside him. The younger man lay stiffly, his eyes shut, as Tuvok began touching him, and kissing his throat and neck gently.   
  
His Master's hands were gentle and his mouth persuasive, but Harry was neither mentally nor emotionally prepared for this. Feeling his body betray him as Tuvok stroked, and sucked, and kissed every personal erogenous zone on his body, Harry clamped down on the stray flickers of arousal, determined not to assist in his own rape.   
  
His slave had always been so responsive, so eager in bed that Tuvok rarely had the opportunity to spend time stimulating his young lover's body. They had only been together for five years, and the Vulcan had planned to spend several decades teaching Harry how to prolong his enjoyment. It was strange to have Harry's body in bed with him and have to make such an incredible effort to get even the smallest response.   
  
The younger man did not fight him, but neither did he return the caresses. Eventually, however, the stimulation began to provide the required result, and Harry got aroused despite himself. But arousal fled every time Tuvok began preparing him for penetration. For the third time he had gotten Harry hard and moaning for him, only to see him lose his erection completely when Tuvok began to lubricate him for entry. While it was not evident in his expression or manner, Tuvok had reached the limits of his already strained patience. Turning Harry over onto his stomach, he lubricated him thoroughly, and entered him. he passage was hot and tight and welcoming, but Tuvok was still for several seconds. Mentally summoning the necessary images to his mind, he waited until orgasm was very close and thrust only three times into the younger man before coming.   
  
His efforts to spare Harry as much discomfort as possible had gone unnoticed and were certainly not appreciated. Harry had lain still for several minutes, before politely requesting permission to use the bathroom. The Vulcan had granted him permission, and listened as the Ensign sobbed uncontrollably under the pounding spray.   
  
The problem was a mental one, not a physical one. The Master knew his slave's body like his own, and knew just how responsive Harry was to anal penetration. This Harry would never enjoy the act as long as he felt he was being forced, and would feel that way for as long as he stayed in the position of slave.   
  
The Master considered the few viable medical alternatives that would decrease the amount of damage he would certainly do to an unwilling participant during the Ponn Far. No matter how many precautions would be taken, it was clear that if he were to go through the mating ritual with this Harry, then the young man would be very badly hurt. The thought that he would have to bed the younger man several times more before the Ponn Far was upon them was less than stimulating. The Vulcan turned and re-entered the bedroom. With fast, efficient movements, he dressed in his uniform, and left his quarters, heading for engineering.   
  
When Harry finally emerged from the bathroom, he was relieved to see that the Vulcan had departed. He stripped and re-made the bed and sunk into it, falling into an exhausted slumber within minutes.   
  
When Tuvok returned to his quarters, he spent some time watching the sleeping form. This boy - this child, was nothing like his slave. Harry had been a constant source of pleasure and enjoyment in his life. His enthusiasm, his boundless energy, his absolute devotion - these were things Tuvok had taken for granted.   
  
And now he was paying the price. Now for the first time he realised just how much he cared for his young slave and how desperately he missed having Harry in his life.   
  
The link with this one would be weak, but it would probably suffice. If they had been in the Alpha Quadrant, Tuvok would have arranged a position for the Ensign on earth, but that was impossible here. He was stuck on this ship with an unwilling slave - and after the Ponn Far there would be little choice about it. Once that link was forged during the intense Plak Tow they would be linked until death. And on a ship this size, and without the assistance of a Vulcan priest or priestess, the mental link would be incredibly strong. Neither would be able to take a lover outside of the bond.   
  
..oo00oo..   
  
Harry found himself falling asleep quickly each night. Even with a shorter shift, the constant balance he was maintaining really took it out of him.   
  
Tuvok had not touched him since that first night, but the feelings of anger and rebellion still grew in him daily. The rest of the crew had accepted his sacrifice as though it was inevitable, and Harry still burned with inward rage at the few sly comments he had overheard from the crew. His counterpart was clearly well-liked aboard the ship, but Harry's initial refusal to become Tuvok's slave had set him apart from the first.   
  
Tom tried hard to shield Harry from the trouble-makers in the crew, and was mostly successful. Unfortunately, several crewmembers, Delaney and Carrigan amongst them, entered Sandrines one afternoon after Tom and Harry had just begun a game of Pool.   
  
Tom cursed inwardly, and tried just about everything he could to get Harry out of the bar before he heard something he shouldn't. But Harry had had enough of Tom's careful handling and was determined to stay. It wasn't long before the group began a loud discussion on just how much Tuvok's new slave seemed to enjoy his position, and why. The comments were crude and offensive, designed to humiliate, and the anger Harry had been carrying around for the past few days boiled over.   
  
As Carrigan made another obscene comment on Tuvok and Harry's relationship, Harry grabbed his collar in both hands and jerked him backwards out of his seat. Glasses went flying as Carrigan kicked out and the two began to fight in earnest. With Tom desperately trying to pull Harry off, and several of Dalby's friends trying to do the same for him, the meleË was short in duration, but vicious enough. Carrigan had a split lip and a cut above his eye, and Harry's jaw bore a red mark that would certainly turn into a nasty bruise. The combatants were panting and struggling to get back into it when Chakotay appeared.   
  
Taking in the scene at a glance, he ordered two off-duty security officers who were having a quiet drink when the fighting broke out, to take the combatants to the brig. Harry caught a glimpse of Tom's worried face as he was firmly escorted away. The two security officers had taken different routes and the cells were not within sight or sound of each other, so as to avoid the two men continuing the fight. Harry spent the night in the cell, bruised and angry, his body aching and throbbing where Carrigan had punched him. It was another sleepless night for the young ensign, as he half expected Tuvok to walk in to the brig at any moment. His Master did not appear.   
  
..oo00oo..   
  
The mood in the Ready Room was one of intense discussion. The Captain, Chakotay, Tuvok and the Doctor (via the viewscreen) had spent several hours discussing the incident in Sandrines, and the future of Harry Kim.   
  
Tuvok's original suggestion that he release Harry from his contract had been vetoed by all three of the other officers. Chakotay argued it best.   
  
"Harry was incredibly popular and the crew miss him. They don't like his counterpart, they see him as aggressive and insensitive. They're used to a Harry Kim who was happy, and who had an inner confidence everyone could see. The hazing was bad before Ensign Kim made the decision to take our Harry's place, but it will be ten times worse if he allows Tuvok to go through the Ponn Far alone. I'm not sure I would be able to guarantee his safety if Tuvok dies."   
  
And so the four had put their heads together, metaphorically, and had eventually come up with a solution. Chakotay at first suggested the need for the crew to find someone else to take their anger out on, and Tuvok had volunteered himself for the part. The Captain was hesitant about the plan, but with the rather surprising enthusiasm of the Doctor to back it up, she eventually agreed.   
  
First and foremost, Harry would need to be punished by his Master. The crew would expect and accept no less. In order for the punishment to appear severe without actually doing Mr Kim any permanent damage, the Doctor had suggested using PS20 - a drug that would dull the senses and instill a temporary state of complete passivity.   
  
The Captain nodded decisively. "Agreed. Mr Chakotay, I suggest you ask Tom Paris to keep an eye on Mr Kim following disciplinary action from his Master. If you wait until Tom is with one of the gossips from Stellar Cartography, it should be all over the ship within hours." The three officers and the HoloDoctor discussed the finer points of the plan, and left the Ready Room some time later.   
  
[Voyager 1]   
  
Tuvok was meditating, again. The Plak Tow would be upon him in just over a week and the Captain had given him extra time off the bridge in order to prepare for it. The knowledge that he wasn't ready was disturbing. He had agreed to bond with the slave, and thus, if the link was insufficient, he was risking two lives. Harry had a thorough knowledge of the rituals involved with the Ponn Far, but had not been through this with his own Master. He was committed to the bond with Tuvok, but there were problems on both sides.   
  
No-one knew more than Tuvok how much the young Ensign was suffering without his Master. The signs were there, and everyone was concerned, but it was Tuvok who held the sobbing young man in his arms every night. When he had insisted upon a cessation of their sexual practices, the reaction was even worse. Harry's depression deepened dramatically, and he was taken off the bridge. It seemed that whilst Tuvok was not an adequate substitute for Harry's Master, he was better than nothing at all.   
  
As the weeks had gone by, the rest of the crew, Tom and B'Elanna in particular, had come to see the considerable differences between the two Harry Kims. The slave was good company, fun to be with, and so achingly similar in looks to their own Harry it was easy sometimes to forget that he wasn't the same person. But the slave was functioning without the one person who provided an anchor in his life. Harry's life had revolved around his Master for so long it was impossible to adjust without his constant presence. Whilst his duties were duplicated in a very minor way with Tuvok, the control was missing. The firm, steady presence of his Master was gone, and Harry was a rudderless ship without him. The one thing that was keeping him going was the desire to bring Tuvok safely through the Ponn Far. Even though he was blindly jealous at the very thought, Harry could only pray that his counterpart would do the same for his Master.   
  
Tuvok could see no solution to the slave's problem, aside from returning to his own universe. And if that proved impossible, Tuvok was well aware that Harry would take his own life if not for the needs of his Master's counterpart.   
  
And Tuvok was also having difficulties with the relationship. Being intimate with Harry Kim's equivalent meant that he spent a lot of time pondering the Harry Kim of his own universe. Admitting that he wanted Harry had been relatively simple. It was the fact that having Harry Kim would not be enough that was difficult to admit. He wanted to be going through this time with Harry - not the slave. He wanted to teach Harry how to play chess, and tell him about the Vulcan customs and legends that the slave was already so familiar with. He wanted to come home to *their* quarters, and listen to Harry discussing his day on the bridge, or his latest loss at pool or his new hobby. Being with Harry's identical twin only emphasised the uniqueness of the man Tuvok had quietly fallen in love so with many months ago. And in less than a week he would be bonded to a boy whose every word and every gesture reminded him of the man he loved and could never have.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 2]   
  
The Vulcan's slim form was clothed in nothing but a thin meditation robe, as he leaned against the door jam, arms crossed, his back to the bedroom, gazing at the stars outside the viewport.   
  
Harry Kim was lying face down on the bed, unconscious. His back was ribboned with blood from the lash, and there were heavy, dark bruises on his wrists.   
  
When Harry had been escorted back to Tuvok's quarters by the security officer, it was clear to see that the night in the brig had only served to build up his anger and fear.   
  
He had stood in the centre of the room, glaring defiantly at the calm Vulcan, until Tuvok had ordered him to remove his uniform. The defiance slipped then, for an instant, and the fear showed through. Tuvok knew Harry Kim as well as he knew himself, even this version of his slave. There was no way Harry would back out of his agreement once he had given his word. He would hate every minute of it, but he would follow Tuvok's orders.   
  
The bruises left by Dalby's fists stood out clearly on the smooth, olive skin, as Harry stripped silently. When Harry was standing naked, Tuvok surveyed his body for some time, considering how best to punish his slave. Harry's eyes widened as Tuvok picked up the short whip from the desk and he swallowed nervously, but kept his stance. When Tuvok ordered him to go into the bedroom, and lay face down on the bed, he did so, faltering only when he saw the restraints attached to the four corners of the bed, and the hypo sitting on the bedside table.   
  
Tuvok had seen his resolve waver for a moment, and had taken advantage of that moment. In a swift movement, he had Harry's hands pinned behind his back, and a foot at the base of one knee was enough to topple the struggling man onto the bed. On knee firmly at the base of Harry's spine was enough to keep him immobile while Tuvok restrained his wrists and from there it was a simple matter to restrain both ankles, leaving Harry naked and spread-eagled, face down on the bed.   
  
Harry had turned his head to one side, but unfortunately he was facing the side table with the hypo sitting on it. He had struggled to no avail in the tight restraints as Tuvok took the hypo and injected him with it. Not knowing what had just gone into his body only increased his fear.   
  
The PS20 would take at least an hour before Harry would begin to feel it, and Tuvok intended to use that time to the fullest. Taking a fistful of Harry's glossy black hair in one hand, the Vulcan twisted his wrist so that Harry was facing him. Staring mercilessly into the frightened gaze, Tuvok allowed his own anger and frustration at the situation to come out in his voice. His voice was cold and unmerciful.   
  
"You belong to me, slave. You are my property. Do you understand?"   
  
Harry nodded, wincing as the fist tightened around his hair. Tuvok was not satisfied.   
  
"I asked you a question, slave."   
  
Harry blinked back the tears and swallowed nervously, before replying.   
  
"I understand, Master."   
  
"Do you think that fighting with members of the crew is appropriate behaviour for my property?"   
  
"No, Master - I'm sorry, Master," Harry gulped out, terrified of the hard, pitiless gaze that was boring into his eyes.   
  
Tuvok let go of Harry's hair, and picked up the whip from the bedside table, taking up position beside the bed and ignoring Harry's gasp of fear. "You will be, slave."   
  
The first blow from the whip was like the cut of a blade, a white-hot streak of pain across his shoulders. Harry could not help the cry that escaped from his lips as he tensed automatically. The flogging continued unabated, each thin strip of agony streaking across Harry's back and shoulders in a typically Vulcan methodical pattern. Harry was screaming in earnest by the time Tuvok had reached twenty strokes, begging him to stop, promising to be better - to be a perfect slave, oh please just stop Master, please, please, I won't do it again, Master oh god please just stopitpleasepleaseplease...........   
  
Over an hour later the PS20 began working in earnest. Critical areas of Harry's reasoning processes were dulled, and all he could think about was the punishment, the whip and the incredible pain. The lashes would do no permanent damage, and were inflicted to cause maximum pain without scarring. Even when Harry regained consciousness, he would be a zombie for several hours afterwards.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 1]   
  
The slave was moaning continuously now, the pleasure of being filled in this most intimate of fashions coursing through his body. He was on his hands and knees on the bed, braced to accommodate the thrusting body behind him. Tuvok's powerful frame thrust hard into the slave and Harry cried out his Master's name as the tender nub inside him was rubbed and stimulated by the thick, pounding cock.   
  
Tuvok had long since learned to ignore the words that came from the younger man during these moments of intimacy. He concentrated on his own impending orgasm, letting the tide of passion build and ebb as he pushed into the tight, welcoming channel and withdrew again. The slave was so responsive to this type of fucking that there was no need to further stimulate his cock so Tuvok began to pick up the speed of his thrusts until finally the surge of ecstasy crashed over his body and he came inside the younger man's body. Harry had come seconds before - he could never hold out for long.   
  
Tuvok withdrew silently from Harry's body, and used the damp towel left on the bedside table to clean both of them. Laying back down on the bed, he was prepared when Harry curled up into his arms as usual. The softly voiced question surprised him, though.   
  
"You wish it was him, don't you?"   
  
Tuvok closed his eyes at the question. The slave was already suffering the loss of his Master, and it seemed unnecessary to cause him further pain. And yet the Vulcan could not deny the charge. He wanted it to be Harry in his arms, not this substitute. Wanting to say something comforting, but not knowing what, Tuvok eventually replied with the truth. His voice was impersonal, giving no indication of the very depth of his own personal grief.   
  
"Yes."   
  
  
  
[Voyager 2]   
  
Harry was back at work within two days. The gossips had done their job, and the change in attitude from the crew was nothing short of amazing. Tuvok had seen to it that Harry had attended sickbay at a busy period, and despite the efforts of the Doctor and Kes, several crewmembers had seen the evidence of the beating the Vulcan had meted out.   
  
The use of the PS20 was inspired. Harry gave every appearance of a man whose very will had been beaten out of him. In reality, he remembered very little of the beating or the horrified gazes from his crewmates in sickbay. But the hazing had stopped, and Harry now had to get used to the sympathetic looks he was getting from just about everyone. Even Carrigan had apologised for the fight, much to Tom's amusement.   
  
But Harry knew that something had to be done about his relationship with Tuvok. He could not continue in this role without losing a part of himself.   
  
..oo00oo..   
  
It was later that evening when a very determined Harry Kim seduced Tuvok. His 'Master' had been quite undemanding since the beating, and the two had done nothing more than sleep in the double bed together.   
  
But as the Vulcan had begun the nightly mental exercises to relax his body in preparation for sleep, he had been rudely interrupted by a firm mouth that had covered his whilst a hand insinuated itself between his legs.   
  
His automatic reaction to protest had allowed the invader access to his mouth, and Harry took full advantage. As Tuvok struggled slightly, the hand cupping his balls had tightened. The message was clear. Both men were well aware that Tuvok could easily have overpowered the younger man, but sheer determination on one part and amused curiousity on the other had them both maintaining the fiction of Harry's superior position.   
  
The kisses deepened as Tuvok responded, and the hand between his legs relaxed and returned to gentle exploration. The two kissed for a long time, gentle foreplay turning into something more desperate as Harry allowed Tuvok to roll him over onto his back. The Vulcan once again began an intense bout of oral stimulation, Harry's mouth, throat, nipples being the main beneficiaries. A pair of searching almond hands investigated the hard black body above his thoroughly and this time Harry didn't even try to control his natural responses to the magic Tuvok's mouth was working on his body.   
  
Expecting Tuvok to take the lead and nail him to the mattress, Harry was more than mildly surprised when an impossibly hot mouth covered his rigid, aching cock and the tongue that had tasting his mouth moments before began mapping every inch of the throbbing flesh. His mind and body floating with pleasure, Harry thrust into the hot, wet, cavern and sobbed with ecstasy. When the younger man was moments away from coming, Tuvok took his mouth away from Harry's cock and returned to his mouth. One long-fingered hand began stroking both cocks as they pushed against one another as mouths met in a frenzied, passionate kiss. Harry came first, breaking away from the kiss to scream with the bliss of the feeling and he spent several long moments trying to get his breathing under control enough to take care of Tuvok.   
  
Brushing one hand over his stomach to collect the cum that had pooled there, Harry's lubricated hand moved over Tuvok's cock in practiced motion, bringing the Vulcan to his own release moments later.   
  
The two men lay side by side for a long time, saying nothing. Harry eventually got up to get a damp towel from the bathroom, which he used to clean himself and his lover. Tuvok watched him silently, but when Harry returned to bed, he opened one arm, curling it around Harry's shoulders as the ensign curled up against him. Words were not necessary. Both men knew that they were nothing more than a substitute, but this compromise had the potential to keep both men sane. Harry drifted off first, dreaming of seducing his own Tuvok, and the Vulcan slept also, thoughts of his slave uppermost in his mind.   
  
..oo00oo..   
  
Whilst Tuvok and Harry were becoming *much* closer, B'Elanna came up with an idea. If it was, in fact, the original beam from Voyager that had caused whatever lived in the Nebula to exchange the two Harry Kim's - there was a chance that the ship could re-create those conditions and return each Ensign to his correct ship. Calling in a number of engineering personnel, she began setting up the necessary parameters, and by morning, was ready to begin testing the system.   
  
Two tense days followed. Tuvok spent most of his time either on the bridge or in engineering, and Harry was beginning to feel that the headway they had made would be lost. Tuvok's manner to him in the brief moments they had together was brusque, as though he regretted allowing the liberties Harry had taken.   
  
Harry tried not to allow himself to get his hopes up about B'Elanna's idea, to no avail. The situation was too similar to the first months onboard Voyager, when he had been desperately homesick. In those days, he had honestly believed that they would find a way home soon, but as the months had gone by, he had begun to realise that Voyager could be in the Delta Quadrant for a very long time.   
  
He had learnt a lot from this exchange, and Harry promised himself that if he ever returned to his home onboard Voyager, he would waste no more time. Too many months had been spent wasting his time dreaming about Libby, about home, about anything but spending the next 70 years onboard Voyager. Harry thought about the wasted nights double-dating with Tom Paris, and the times he had met someone on a planet during their travels, only to be depressed when Voyager had to leave. All the time Tuvok had been right there.   
  
With B'Elanna still trying out new ideas, Harry joined the Captain, Chakotay and Tuvok in the Ready Room to discuss bridge operations during Tuvok's Ponn Far. Before too long, the other three were deep in discussion.   
  
When that familiar feeling of being caught in the transporter beam came upon him, he relaxed into it, incredibly relieved that B'Elanna's idea had worked and that he was going home. He had time only to give a small sigh of relief before...................   
  
  
  
[Voyager 1]   
  
...............he found himself lying on his back, with a body pressed along the length of his. The smooth feel of crisp sheets on the bed beneath him was in sharp contrast with the hot length of skin next to his, and Harry found himself automatically responding to the thrusts of the hips and tilting his head back to give better access for the mouth sucking on his neck. Hands played with his nipples, then moved to caress his cock, which was unsurprisingly hard. Harry kept his eyes closed and moaned softly with pleasure. He knew who was doing such delicious things to his body, and he didn't want his lover to stop .....   
  
A firm hand was stroking him now and Harry followed suit, grasping his lover's thick cock in his hand before moving down to cup the balls and stroke them gently. Tuvok's hand was pulling him in perfect motion, in firm upward strokes, just the way he loved it, and Harry could feel the beginnings of orgasm deep in his balls.   
  
Moaning, he thrust into the hand, leaving the throbbing cock alone in order to cover Tuvok's hand with his own in his urgency to come. "Oh, God....... Tuvok......." he sighed, wanting this so badly and not caring about the aftermath. For a second, the hand stilled completely, and the mouth that had been making a meal of his neck ceased to do so. Tuvok raised his head slightly to look Harry in the eye, the stunned look in his eyes evidence that he knew, somehow, that the person he was bedding moments ago and the person who was moaning in his hands now, were not one and the same.   
  
Harry was in no mood for recriminations, however. His need for completion outweighed everything else, and he could only gasp one word in a request he hoped Tuvok would be unable to turn down. "....please......" Harry held Tuvok's gaze as he thrust into the firm hand, feeling his own balls tighten with the impending climax he reached up to brush tongue and lips briefly over Tuvok's mouth before arching half off the bed and shouting his lover's name as he came.   
  
His orgasm seemed to last forever - it felt somehow as if he and Tuvok had been making love for hours prior to this. Coming down finally from that post-coital dazed plateau he turned his head to look once again into Tuvok's eyes. Saying nothing yet, Harry reached down between their bodies, to find Tuvok hard and throbbing. Gently, he pushed Tuvok onto his back and ran one hand down the length of that hard, lean body. Tuvok hissed softly as Harry's hand began to stroke his cock and he arched with pleasure as Harry's mouth covered the straining flesh.   
  
This time was pure pleasure. Tuvok was holding himself in check, trying not to thrust into the welcome warmth of Harry's mouth. He was close to the edge, but Harry wanted to explore. He tongued the length of flesh, and kissed and sucked gently at the base of Tuvok's cock. Having reached the base of that giant, throbbing flesh, there was no other option than to taste the balls, and Harry licked and sucked them into his mouth with a small moan of pleasure. The taste of Tuvok was indescribable and Harry wanted nothing more than to continue to worship Tuvok with his lips and tongue forever. But he could feel the climax building, and worked his mouth all the way to the tip of Tuvok's cock in order to take as much of the straining flesh into his mouth as he could. As Tuvok came and his cock jumped and throbbed in Harry's mouth, Harry strained to catch every drop of his lover's essence. It was their first time and he didn't want to miss a thing. The orgasm lasted a long time, it seemed, and Harry continued to gently lick and kiss the softening organ until Tuvok pulled away from him.   
  
Moving up the bed to lie beside his lover, Harry smiled slightly, and asked, "How did you know?"   
  
Tuvok gathered Harry into his arms and settled them both comfortably. The Vulcan sighed. "You called me Tuvok."   
  
A raised eyebrow was his only response as Harry traced the firm line of Tuvok's chin with one languorous finger. "He called me Master."   
  
"Would you like me to call you Master from now on?" Harry's voice teased the Vulcan out of his momentary guilt trip.   
  
"No, Harry - I would not." A long-fingered hand idly combed Harry's hair.   
  
Harry had never felt so tired, or so happy, in his life. He lay in the warm shelter of Tuvok's embrace, and dozed. When the Captain's voice came over Tuvok's monitor, the Vulcan had to move out from under the sleepy but possessive grasp of his new lover. Even if he knew where his meditation robe was, there was absolutely no chance of putting it on before the Captain activated the two-way view screen. Tuvok chose to dive into the seat in front of the monitor and hope that the Captain would assume that he was only naked from the waist up.   
  
Apart from one fractionally raised eyebrow, the Captain chose not to comment on her Security Chief's lack of attire. "Tuvok, B'Elanna just monitored an unusual shift in the nebula. Is Harry with you? Is he all right?"   
  
Tuvok gave his usual clipped and efficient report to his Captain.   
  
"Our own Mr Kim has been returned to the ship, Captain, and I would assume that our visitor has been returned to his own ship also."   
  
Relief and pleasure were apparent in the Captain's expression. "Excellent, Mr Tuvok. How is he? Better yet - have him report to Sickbay immediately. I want to make sure there are no after-effects from his adventure. I would also like a report on his experience as soon as possible. Put him on, will you?"   
  
Tuvok spent perhaps one half of one second pondering the likelihood of his coming up with a plausible lie for why Harry was not up to answering his Captain at the moment. Regretfully, he consigned his reputation to the dogs before answering.   
  
"I am afraid Captain, that Harry is asleep at the moment."   
  
"Asleep?" The Captain's voice held just the tiniest tremor, but she managed to keep a straight face. It was unfortunate, Tuvok felt, that Chakotay and Tom Paris both lacked a similar restraint under the circumstances. Chakotay was unsuccessfully trying to turn a laugh into a cough and the expression on Tom's face could best be described as a smirk.   
  
It was clearly up to him to maintain some small semblance of dignity. "I will have Mr Kim report to Sickbay at once Captain. He will report to you......."   
  
The Captain interrupted with one hand raised to stop him. "No, no, Tuvok - you're quite right. Mr Kim clearly requires some,..... er........ private meditation time in order to overcome his recent ordeal. Perhaps you could assist him in that?" She was innocence personified. Chakotay's expression was perfectly bland, bar the twitching mouth and eyebrows as he struggled to control his mirth, and Tom wasn't even bothering to hide a large grin.   
  
Tuvok gave a small sigh at the display. "I will see to it, Captain." He signed off before any more of the Bridge crew got into the act. Sometimes humans could be extremely immature.   
  
  
  
[Voyager 2]   
  
Aboard the other Voyager, Harry Kim had been thrust out of Tuvok's bed and into the Ready Room. The familiar wave of nausea had been a some small warning, and then he was here. Fortunately, the Captain, Chakotay and Tuvok were all deep in discussion and Kim was able to take several breaths to calm his body down.   
  
His three senior officers turned to face him when they heard his small exclamation of pleasure, all of them displaying varying degrees of relief when they realised that the exchange had taken place. Tuvok, of course, remained expressionless, but his slave was well aware of his satisfaction with the successful exchange.   
  
Standing, he greeted the Captain and First Officer formally, and then went to kneel before his Master, kissing the hand that was held to him. The Captain and Chakotay tactfully turned away from the lovers to discuss the exchange with B'Elanna, and so missed seeing the implacable and brutal taskmaster gently tracing a line down Harry's upturned face with one long index finger. Relief, contentment and pure joy flowed through the slave at the intimate touch. He was home.   
  
The End.


End file.
